Louisville Men's Basketball Tumbles in Week Nine of AP Top 25

The Cardinals went 1-1 this past week in their trip out to the West Coast.

Jan 2, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Khani Rooths (9) dunks the ball during the first half against Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Justine Willard-Imagn Images | Justine Willard-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program didn't have a perfect week to start ACC play, so as expected, their standing in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll has taken a hit.

The Cardinals (11-3, 1-1 ACC) garnered 336 points in week nine of the AP Top 25, falling from No. 16 in the previous poll to No. 20 this week. Louisville has been ranked in every poll so far this season, peaking as high as No. 6 overall.

Louisville's games at Cal and Stanford this past week were on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Louisville started the week with a decisive 90-70 victory against the Golden Bears, only to follow that up with an 80-76 upset loss to the Cardinal. UofL has not started 2-0 in conference play in four seasons.

Next up, Louisville returns home for a massive ranked showdown against Duke. Tip-off against the Blue Devils is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

Full Associated Press Top 25 Poll (2025-26 Week 9)

*Points in parenthesis - first place votes

1. Arizona (1,494 - 32)
2. Michigan (1,493 - 29)
3. Iowa State (1,390)
4. UConn (1,343)
5. Purdue (1,254)
6. Duke (1,206)
7. Houston (1,113)
8. Gonzaga (1,101)
9. BYU (1,039)
10. Nebraska (998)
11. Vanderbilt (936)
12. Michigan State (834)
13. Alabama (782)
14. Texas Tech (676)
15. Arkansas (659)
16. Illinois (602)
17. North Carolina (557)
18. Georgia (378)
19. Iowa (340)
20. Louisville (336)
21. Tennessee (277)
22. Kansas (208)
23. Virginia (183)
24. SMU (142)
25. UCF (132)

Others receiving votes:

Villanova 127, Seton Hall 31, Southern Cal 28, Utah St. 27, Miami (Ohio) 22, Clemson 21, Saint Louis 14, LSU 14, Texas 12, Florida 11, Saint Mary's 10, Kentucky 9, California 8, Miami 5, Indiana 4, Auburn 3, TCU 2, UCLA 2, Virginia Tech 2.

(Photo of Khani Rooths: Justine Willard - Imagn Images)

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